AFVOA Newletters of Year 2008

Page 12 of 56 (b) Col RI Subramanian who was kind enough to arrange all the gifts and to Mrs Usha Subramanian for packing all the gifts. (c) To Area HQ Staff Officers, 756 Indep Transport Platoon (ASC) and Area HQ Sig Coy for providing valuable resources. (d) Brig VN Money, Station Commander, for attending the Picnic and arranging the Guest Speaker. (e) Dr. N Vijayaraghavan, Guest Speaker. 7. GOC-in-C as Chief Guest. Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj, SM, GOC-in-C Southern Command has accepted our invitation to attend our meeting on 13 Apr 2008. We have formally intimated the GOC ATNK&K Area. He has asked us to recommend a suitable request which he can make on our behalf. 9. Visit to ICF. Mrs. Sabitha Madangopal, w/o Lt Gen Madangopal is at present the head of ICF. She has expressed her pleasure in receiving our members for a visit. We have to decide date, strength, Adm and memento to be presented. The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. William James STATION EVENTS Republic Day Celebrations 1. A wreath laying ceremony was held at 0730 hrs on 25 Jan 2008 at the Chennai Victory War Memorial on the occasion of the Republic Day. The Memorial had been decked up admirably for the occasion by the 25 th Battalion The MADRAS Regiment, the Garrison Infantry Battalion. Five veterans each from the Army, Navy and Air Force represented the AFVOA and were present when His Excellency Shri Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu laid the wreath. This was followed by an impressive parade along the Beach Road at which the Governor took the salute. 2. That evening there was a Tea Party on the sprawling lawns of the Raj Bhavan at Guindy where the Governor held the traditional ‘in house’. Civilian dignitaries and serving officers were present in good numbers. As desired by the GOC veterans had turned up in good strength in miniature medals. We should develop competence and ability which would help us to utilize the opportunities which are now open to us. S Radhakrishnan Decommissioning of IN SDB T56 3. Readers may recollect the Decommissioning of INS Mithun in Apr 2007. A similar ceremony was held in respect of Indian Naval Seaward Defence Boat T56 (IN SDB T56) She was commissioned on 31 Oct 1984 as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platform at Netaji Subash Dock, Kolkata. Later her role was changed to a gun boat. During her service she had seen 23 Operational Deployment in Palk Bay and had remained underway for over 80,000 nautical miles. She played an important role in 1989 during peace keeping operations in Srilanka and in Tsunami Relief Operations in 2004. After over 23 years of service she was decommissioned on 31 Jan 2008. 4. Cmde PE Van Haltren, VSM, Naval Officer-in-Charge Tamil Nadu (NOIC (TN)) hosted a dinner to the officers of IN SDB T56 on 30 Jan 2008 at the Naval Officers Mess, Chennai. Five couples each from the Army, Navy and Air Force represented the AFVOA at the Dinner. 5. The next day, at sun down, in a touching ceremony held at the West Quay of the Naval Dockyard inside the Chennai Harbour under the aegis of NOIC (TN) and in the presence of all